Beware: May be dye-free, but not metal-free

Check those 1 ounce plastic bottles of Mylicon Gas Relief Dye Free Drops (over-the-counter) where you keep your children's medicines, especially if they were bought after October 5, 2008.  The FDA and the manufacturer (Johnson & Johnson - Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Company) sent out a recall notification. The lot numbers to look for are SMF007 and SMF008. If you have bottles matching these numbers, throw them out immediately! Some bottles may have been contaminated with metal fragments during the manufacturing process. If your infant has been given some of this medicine in the past and you are concerned, please contact your child's healthcare professional.

What a bore!

I started pumping breast milk again now that my son is starting solids and I need some liquid gold to mix with the rice cereal. I am almost certain that the pump is repeatedly saying to me, "what a bore, what a bore, what a bore..." in a New York accent. It can be a mindless task, but I find things to keep me occupied for the 10 minutes. 

While I'm on the subject, have you ever worried about whether the pain or allergy medicine you want to take is safe for your baby? If you are on a medication chronically, check with your doctor before stopping the drug. In most cases, very little medicine reaches the baby and you can still breastfeed. Sometimes you may have to "pump and dump" the milk that has the highest concentration of the drug after you have taken a dose. This helps to minimize the baby's exposure. The Division of Specialized Information Services, in conjunction with the US National Library of Medicine, has a web site where you can type in the name of the drug and get a quick idea. Of course, it also doesn't hurt to check with your pharmacist or doctor. 

When I need an antihistamine, I take a dose of cetirizine (Zyrtec) and I watch my son for sluggishness, but he's always been fine. It doesn't do either of us any good if I'm miserable.

Reach up high!

My 35 month-old daughter told me a few weeks ago that she doesn't need the stool anymore when she washes her hands. This morning, she grabbed my son's rice cereal from the kitchen counter - I had placed it all the way towards the back last night. Ok, time to make sure all the medicine, even empty bottles or devices, are out of her reach. She's 39 inches and can reach much higher than that. Oh yes, can't forget about the detergents and colorful liquids that look like drinks her peers enjoy. The best way is to get down to her height and see what she sees. Prevention is key. "Poison proof your home." Oh, and the Poison Control Center's number is 1800-222-1222.  

Pain, pain go away

My kids are getting the flu vaccine today. My son is also getting his routine 6-month immunizations during this visit. Even though his thighs are like ham hocks, he will not be a happy camper. I might give him some acetaminophen (Tylenol) before his appointment to take some of the pain away. What about other side effects of vaccines?  Other than the local heat, swelling, redness, and fever, vaccines are safe. I'm more concerned about my kids getting the diseases and spreading them. With some of these diseases, the infection can lead to even more serious complications in an infant. An updated parents' guide from the CDC about childhood immunizations is now available. Vaccine-preventable diseases include diphtheria, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, Haemophilus influenzae type b (not the same as the flu virus), influenza (this is the flu), measles, mumps, rubella, pertussis, pneumococcal, polio, tetanus, varicella, and rotavirus. Vaccine information sheets are available in many languages and are available on the CDC web site.

So is your child up-to-date with the vaccines? Check the schedule for babies; children; or teens. If your child fell behind because there was a shortage of a particular vaccine, or for another reason, check with your child's doctor to see if catch-up immunizations are needed. Here are tips from the Immunization Action Coalition on what to do after your kids feels uncomfortable after the vaccines.  I'm getting ready to give them lots of hugs and kisses.

4:37 PM Update

I actually did not give either of them acetaminophen and they were both tolerant of the pain. Yes, my son cried at the shock of the intramuscular injection, but after that he was fine.  Of course,  he only received 2 of the 4 (Hib on backorder and flu vaccine to be given after he turns 6 months in a few days). He'll be fine. My daughter was amazingly calm, but likely because I had been prepping her for it. More importantly, she was there when I received mine. We're going to be watching for fevers now...